Within the past year, it seemed as though the sky was falling for the New England Patriots. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick reportedly were at odds, and Rob Gronkowski appeared to seriously contemplate retirement ahead of the 2018 campaign.

But it’s been business as usual this season for the Patriots, who currently sit at 9-3 and are primed for yet another deep playoff run. And according to the MMQB’s Albert Breer, this season has somewhat reenergized Belichick, who could be at the helm in New England for years to come.

“I would have told you a year ago based on people that I was talking to that Belichick could kind of see the end,” Breer said on Friday’s edition of “The Herd” on FOX Sports 1. “You got the sense that maybe a couple more years, maybe he gets to an even 20 and walks away after the 2019 season. I’m not getting that sense at all anymore. You talk to people in that building this year, the tension of last year is gone. The relationship with Brady isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot better than it was last year. And there are people I talk to there that think he could go another four or five years easy based on how energized he’s been this year, based on how passionate he is about his job.

“And here’s the other thing, he’s a little like (Nick) Saban in this way too: When you have things set up the way Bill Belichick has them set up in Foxboro, you really don’t have to work as hard because part of the operation becomes turnkey. That doesn’t mean he’s working less diligently or he’s less prepared than he’s been in the past, but naturally when you’ve been in a place for as long as he’s been and you’ve got things set up the way you want them, it becomes a little easier to run things and that would enable you to coach at an older age. So I don’t get the sense that Belichick is walking out of there tomorrow at all.”

Belichick already is considered by many as the greatest NFL coach of all time, and it appears his already illustrious résumé is far from being completed.